Photographic laboratories process roll film into strips of developed negative film and individual positive prints. The prints and film are returned to the customer in a package, usually a pair of paper envelopes. The inner envelope usually has a separate pocket for storage of the strips of developed film. The envelopes are used for a variety of print sizes such as 4.times.6 and 3.times.5 inches and strips of film such as 110 and 35 mm. The prints and strips of film can slide about. Once the adhesive seal of the envelopes are broken, the flap is usually torn. In any case, the open flap allows dirt and moisture into the envelope and onto the surface of the prints.
Many photographs are taken as a family history and as remembrances of childhood and of relatives no longer alive. They are valuable family mementos. Also photographic prints and film are stored by companies for commercial or forensic reasons. However, photographic prints tend to curl after they are dried at the end of processing. The soft, loosely filled envelopes also curl making it impractical to stack the envelopes. Most envelopes end up in a random pile in a box or a drawer. They tend to become disorganized over the years and are unsightly and unmanageable when a particular roll of film is sought. Furthermore, the low profile of the edges of the envelopes precludes edge labeling.
Sometimes, the pictures are returned in a cardboard box which can be a bit more rigid and protective, but is much more expensive. U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,734 to Newcombe discloses a cardboard box for storing film, not photos. Such simple boxes can not economically segregate the photos from the negatives and are not rigid nor square enough for stacking. Cardboard boxes can be insufficiently strong to provide permanent protection for the film, absorb moisture and soften during storage. Furthermore, most cardboards are made from kraft pulp. The residual sulfate salts and/or acidic lignins in the cardboard can react with and degrade the silver and silver salts in the negatives and photograph prints over long periods of time.
Plastic containers are not subject to degradation by moisture, can be stronger than cardboard and can be made of materials that are inert and do not degrade nor react with the silver or silver halide images in the negative films and positive prints.
The positive and negative storage container disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,752 is on the market. The container has the overall shape and configuration of a book. The cover is connected to the base by a live hinge side wall. A storage compartment is formed on the inside of the cover and guides are provided to store prints in the base. The container includes many different parts requiring expensive molds. This container is much more expensive than paper envelopes and would not be considered for use in replacing the traditional envelopes in which developed prints are returned to the customer from the processor.
A more intricate photograph print storage system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,154. A spring based slide arrangement shuttles the prints to a viewing window.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,694 to Jost discloses several different plastic container designs for photos and negatives. Separate compartments are provided for photos and negatives, each accessible through a pivoting lid. This design is very expensive because each container requires several different plastic parts which must be separately molded at considerable extra cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,977 to Enden et al. discloses a light-tight container for storing light sensitive sheets and exposed sheets that may be made from cardboard or plastic including an ejecting mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,486 to Bostic discloses a plastic tray for storing a stack of photos. An additional recess in the bottom of the tray is sized to accept negatives. The photographic prints and negatives are not segregated so that the negatives could be disturbed whenever the photos are accessed. A separate plastic cover snaps on to the top of the tray. Bostic states that several of the trays could be stacked, but for larger numbers of trays, he requires a special rack with slots for the trays. Again, the storage unit is formed of several separate plastic parts. This increases the cost and complexity of the storage unit.